Waterslide amusement devices have been popular for decades. In a typical previously developed waterslide, a rider climbs a stairwell located in a tower. The rider then enters an entrance of the waterslide and is propelled by gravity along the waterslide until splashing into a pool located at an end of the waterslide. Water flows down the waterslide along with the rider to decrease friction and enhance the entertainment value of the ride. However, since the rider is propelled by gravity alone, a long ride requires the construction of a very large and very high tower, and an intricate elevated framework for suspending the waterslide high above the ground. Thus, previously developed gravity based waterslides are expensive to manufacture and construct.
One solution to this problem has been to provide a lift mechanism to lift a rider along the waterslide to a starting height, eliminating the need for the rider to climb stairs to ascend the tower. However, such lift mechanisms add no excitement to the user's experience of the ride. These lift mechanisms convey the rider at a constant speed, about 3 ft/sec, which is slow and unexhilarating to the rider.
Another solution has been to propel the user up an inclined surface using water jets. More specifically, a series of water jets are used to jet high-pressure water up the waterslide, and in the process entrain the rider to propel the rider up the slide. Although effective, this previously developed waterslide has certain serious limitations. If a single jet is used, riders can only be conveyed a short distance as the power of the jet dissipates quickly. Thus, the rider tends to slow down as the rider progresses along the path of the jet. Additionally, if several nozzles are used in series, a rider slows down as he or she travels the path of the jet, and then may be violently jerked along as the rider enters the slipstream of the next jet.